Team 3+ HR Games Within First 17 Of Season
Posted by Steve Lombardi on April 24, 2011
Within their first 17 games this season, the Yankees have 5 games where they've hit 3 or more homeruns in the contest. Since 1919, how many teams have 5+ games within their first 17 games where they had 3+ homeruns?
Here's the list -
| Rk | Tm | Year | #Matching | W | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STL | 2000 | 7 | 6 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | CIN | 2006 | 7 | 5 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | CIN | 1956 | 7 | 7 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | STL | 2004 | 6 | 5 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | SEA | 1999 | 6 | 5 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 6 | DET | 1996 | 6 | 6 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 7 | CLE | 1995 | 6 | 6 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 8 | CHC | 2004 | 6 | 5 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 9 | TOR | 1990 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 10 | TOR | 2000 | 5 | 2 | 3 | Ind. Games |
| 11 | TOR | 2006 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 12 | TEX | 2009 | 5 | 2 | 3 | Ind. Games |
| 13 | TEX | 2003 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 14 | TBR | 2009 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 15 | SFG | 2000 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 16 | SEA | 1998 | 5 | 2 | 3 | Ind. Games |
| 17 | OAK | 1994 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 18 | NYY | 1956 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 19 | NYY | 2011 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 20 | NYY | 2003 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 21 | MLN | 1959 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Ind. Games |
| 22 | MIN | 1964 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 23 | KCR | 2000 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 24 | KCA | 1964 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 25 | CLE | 1994 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 26 | CLE | 1959 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 27 | CIN | 1959 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 28 | CIN | 1970 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 29 | CHC | 1954 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 30 | BRO | 1955 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 31 | BOS | 1973 | 5 | 2 | 3 | Ind. Games |
| 32 | ATL | 1999 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Ind. Games |
| 33 | ARI | 1999 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ind. Games |
.
In total, the 2011 Yankees have hit 35 HR in their first 17 games this season. For a point of comparison, the 2000 Cardinals hit 40 HR in their first 17 games, the 2009 Rangers had 35 HR in their first 17 games, and, the 2003 Yankees had 33 HR in their first 17 games.
April 24th, 2011 at 10:13 am
About half these would have asterisk with "steroid years", showing how unusual it really is.
April 24th, 2011 at 10:14 am
So the 2011 Yankees are on a pace to hit almost 334 home runs for the season.
Martin, Teixeira, Grandrson, Posada 6 each, A-Rod with 5, Cano with 4. That's very balanced production.
Age and the wear and tear of the season will bring those HR numbers back to reality.
Toronto, last year's league leader with, 257, had only hit 24 in their first 17 games.
April 24th, 2011 at 10:22 am
I know you can explain away anything with statistics, but park effects may be a factor in their fast HR start. Tha Yankees have had 11 home games and five of their away games have been at Boston and Toronto with their hitter-friendly parks.
April 24th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
russell martin is proving to have been quite the offseason signing so far
April 24th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
The Yankees are once again ruining baseball with all these home runs they hit. It shows that they're just not a very good team because all they do is hit home runs.
At least that's what I heard on ESPN last Sunday night.
April 24th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
@5
What? ESPN color commentators are still saying silly things even without Joe Morgan?
April 24th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
They're built for their home park with a lot of lefthanded power, and when on the road they've gone to Boston, Toronto and now Baltimore. I'm pretty sure they're not going to hit 330-something HRs, then again, Teixeira has avoided his normal very slow start, and A-Rod and Granderson are healthy. Swisher and Cano really haven't even started yet.
One thing I have noticed as they moved to the new Stadium in 2009, in April the place is quite windy. In 2009, they're rate of HRs decreased once they hit May. My guess is the same thing will happen again.
So, yeah, I don't see any more than 300 HRs.
Just kidding...I think.
April 24th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
@6
Yea, I know, hard to believe, right?
April 24th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
"...Cano really [hasn't] even started yet."
Um, what? Cano currently has 4 HRs, 14 RBIs, and a 324/329/577 line. All in 17 games. That puts him on a pace approaching 40 HRs and 140 RBIs. The only numbers that are off pace for him are his OBP, BB rate, and K rate. Now, in the big picture, these would be concerning. But the sample size is small so there is no reason to believe they are a new trend. Otherwise, his production has been outsized.
At the risk of being presumptuous, I'm going to assume RobMer is a Yankee fan and simply submit this as further evidence of the absurd overaluation of Yankee players by their fans. A 2B on pace for 40 HRs and 140 RBIs with a .324 BA, numbers that could potentially put him in a Triple Crown race is described as having not even started yet. Sheesh.
April 24th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
I know it's a question that shows my incompetence with the Play Index but how do I use the batting streak finder to find the most consecutive times on base, spanning however many number of games?
There is no "Outs" in the "Choose a Stat" drop down list to let me find a consecuitve string of games with "outs" = 0 and PA>=1.
What I want to find is players with more than, say, 12 consecutive times on base and I can't figure out how to do it.
April 24th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Neil, you're too hard on yourself. I don't think there is any way to do that kind of search on the Play Index.
The Streak Finder is for games only. And it lacks the relational field that the Season and Game Finders have -- i.e., the ability to set "Times On Base = PA."
If I'm wrong, I'll be glad to learn of it!
April 24th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
@9, BSK, I submit your response as an example of someone who needs to cut back on the caffeine.
I am not a Yankee fan. If I was, I probably would have been aware of Cano's stats. The note was more in humor, with a serious observation regarding their HR rate. You missed the obvious. I simply hadn't checked Cano's stats.
But yeah, you are presumptuous, since you seem to believe you know how all fans of a specific team think.
April 24th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Neil L -- I googled "MLB record for consecutive times on base" and came up with the following information:
-- The all-time record is 17 by Frank Ward in 1893. (unverified)
-- The modern MLB record is 16 by Ted Williams in 1957 (Sept. 17-23). Coming off a 2-week absence, Williams returned with a pinch HR (tying the game in the 8th), a pinch walk, another pinch HR, and then 3 full games in which he went 4-4 with 2 HRs, 8 walks and a HBP. (That was the year Williams hit .388 with a .526 OBP and .731 slugging, at age 38.)
-- The modern NL record is 15, by Barry Bonds in 1998 (Aug. 31-Sept. 4) and John Olerud that same year (Sept. 16-22).
Beyond that, though, I can't help you.
April 24th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
@11 @13
Thanks, JA! You just gave me back my BRef self-esteem!
I was curious after Bautista reached base for the 11th consecutive time today what the record was. Three innings later it was irrelevant as he made an out.
Thanks again for replying
April 24th, 2011 at 9:52 pm
RobMer-
Sorry about that. You seemed to speak quite knowledgeably about the Yankees and their stadium and lumping Cano (who is tearing the cover off the ball) with Swisher (who is sucking) made the sarcasm less than obvious. I took you at your word, something I guess I was wrong to do. Everything else in your comment seemed like legitimate analysis so randomly throwing in a jest about Cano simply didn't make sense.
April 24th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
This is pretty far off topic but I had to get it off my chest:
How much more will it take to put to rest the myth that the Mets' new park is unfriendly to their power hitters?
In 2009, the first year of their new park, the Mets hit 49 HRs at home, 46 on the road.
In 2010, they hit 63 both home and away.
In 2011 (counting Sunday), they have hit 16 HRs in 13 home games, 4 HRs in 9 road games.
In 2009, they slugged .408 at home, .381 away.
In 2010, they slugged .393 at home, .373 away.
In 2011, they have slugged .446 at home, .330 away.
I don't care what the dimensions look like, and I don't care what the players say. If the Mets have a power problem, it's not the park.
April 24th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Neil L -- Sorry to hear that Bautista's streak got snapped. I've been watching his walk total climb (among other things). After today, he has 19 walks in 18 games. Two notes:
-- Only 7 players in modern history have had a season of 100+ games with more walks than games: Barry Bonds and Ted Williams (5x each), Babe Ruth (2x), and Mark McGwire, Jack Clark, Mickey Mantle and Eddie Joost once each.
-- The Blue Jays' season record for walks is 123 by Carlos Delgado in 2000.
P.S. How in the world did he get picked off 1st base in the 9th today with the Jays down by 2 runs??? I don't know what happened, I only read the play-by-play. But there's a reason that folks don't try to steal on Shields!
April 25th, 2011 at 1:05 am
JA-
The Mets only hit 85 HRs in 2009? YIKES!
April 25th, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Um, Andy, the Rangers have 6 3+ homer games this year so far.
April 25th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
@17
JA, he's been picked off 1B already 3 times this year. Trying to take too much on himself, I guess, what with a terrible Jay's offense.
Interesting about the walks. Bautista already has a walk and a HR in 3 PA so far tonight. But without some kind of protection around him in the lineup he'll be seeing fewer and fewer pitches to hit.